Primable electrochemical generator

ABSTRACT

The generator comprises a recipient 1 containing the electrodes. The electrolyte is contained in a flexible bag separated from the interior of the recipient by a tearable membrane. A priming member is provided, including a piston or finger, and this priming member can be moved upward against the bag to fold the bag on itself, which first tears the tearable membrane and then displaces the electrolyte from the bag into the recipient.

United States Patent inventors Maurice Garcin Paris; Claude Meunier, Saint-Denis, both of France Appl. No. 787,092 Filed Dec. 26, 1968 Patented Sept. 21, 197i Assignee Societe Les Piles Wonder Saint-Ouen, France Priority Dec. 28, 1967 France 134088 PRIMABLE ELECTROCHEMICAL GENERATOR 7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Ci 136/114, 136/90 lnt.Cl ..ll01rn 21/10 Field of Search 136/114, 112, 113,90

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,036,140 5/1962 Oestermeyer et al 136/90 3,173,811 3/1965 Amiet 136/90 3,177,098 4/1965 Amiet et al 136/90 3,211,588 10/1965 Marsal.... 136/90 3,239,385 3/1966 Meyers 136/90 Primary ExaminerWinston A. Douglas Assistant ExaminerC. F, Lefevour Attorney0strolenk, Faber, Gerb and Soffen ABSTRACT: The generator comprises a recipient 1 containing the electrodes. The electrolyte is contained in a flexible bag separated from the interior of the recipient by a tearahle membrane. A priming member is provided, including a piston or finger, and this priming member can be moved upward against the bag to fold the bag on itself, which first tears the tearabie membrane and then displaces the electrolyte from the bag into the recipient.

PRIMABLE ELECTROCHEMICAL GENERATOR This invention relates to primable electrochemical generators, that is to say to primary batteries and accumulators (storage batteries) in which the electrolyte is stored at a distance from the electrodes and is put in the presence of the electrodes only just at the moment when the need for electric energy is felt. The invention is more particularly concerned with primable primary batteries capable of supplying instantaneous high electric power after priming, in particular of the type having positive electrodes with a base of silver oxide and negative electrodes of zinc.

An object of the invention is to improve primable elec trochemical generators with respect, on the one hand, to the facility and the security of the priming by authorized persons (whereas their priming is not possible by unauthorized persons), and on the other hand, to their construction to render it robust, tight and compact, which permits open air storage when that proves necessary for certain applications.

A primable electrochemical generator according to the present invention comprises, in combination:

a recipient containing the electrodes, with possibly separators between the electrodes, and with anode and cathode conductors passing through the recipient, this recipient being fluidtight, including the regions where these conductors pass through, with the exception of at least one upper orifice permitting the outlet of gas (on the one hand, the air filling the recipient at the moment of priming, and on the other hand, the gases generated after priming) and with the exception of at least one lower orifice permitting the inlet of the electrolyte at the moment of priming;

a first skirt rigidly fixed to the lower part of recipient around its lower orifice and carrying at its interior a flexible bag filled with the electrolyte;

a tearable membrane fixed against the lower part of the recipient to separate the open upper part of the bag from the lower orifice of the recipient;

a second skirt mounted, preferably in a removable manner, under the lower part of the recipient, this second skirt surrounding the first skirt; and

a priming member which can be moved at the interior of the second skirt, this priming member being originally mounted in the lower part of the second skirt and being adapted to be pushed towards the top, this member comprising a piston or finger whose summit is originally located in contact with, or possibly in the neighborhood of, the lower part of the bag filled wit electrolyte, this piston or finger being adapted to be moved upward into the interior of the first skirt, thus folding the bag on itself, which first tears the tearable membrane and then displaces the electrolyte from the bag into the recipient through the lower orifice of the recipient, this member preferably comprising means permitting its movement towards the top only by means of a special tool.

The invention comprises, apart from this principal feature, certain other characteristics which are preferably, though not necessarily, used at the same time as the principal feature, and which will be more explicitly described hereafter, in particular:

a first characteristic according to which a certain number of blind holes are provided on the lower face of the priming member, these blind holes being disposed according to a determined configuration so as to permit the actuation of this member by a tool having projections disposed according to the same configuration as the blind holes so as to be able to penetrate into these holes; and according to which a detachable lid is disposed against the lower face of this member, this detachable lid also comprising blind holes disposed according to the same configuration as the blind holes cited in the first place and being able to receive the projections of the tool in order to be able to be actuated by this tool for detaching the lid from the priming member in a preliminary stage of the priming operation, the ensemble of the blind holes of the lid being offset in rotation with respect to the ensemble of the blind holes of the lower face of the priming member;

a second characteristic according to which cooperating threads are provided, on the one hand, at the upper part of the first skirt, and on the other hand, at the upper end of the priming member so that this member can bc fixed in its upper posi tion on the first skirt, after which the second skirt can be detached when this second skirt is mounted in a removable manner on the recipient.

In any case, the invention will be able to be well understood with the aid of the following complementary description, as well as of the accompanying drawings, which complementary description and drawings are, of course given merely by way of example.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 represents, in axial longitudinal section, one embodi ment of a primable electrochemical generator provided with the improvements according to this invention, such that it (the generator) can be stored practically indefinitely;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view, with partial section, of the generator of FIG. ll;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate the manner of making the priming member of the generator of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 show the successive positions of the various elements of the electrochemical generator of FIGS. 1 and 2 in the course of a priming operation, FIG. 9 showing the final state of the generator at the end of priming and in the course of operation.

The following specific description relates to a primable electrochemical generator, notably a primary battery, in particular of the silver oxide-zinc type.

The generator comprises (FIGS. 1 and 2) first of all a recipient 1 containing the electrodes 2, 3 (positive electrodes or cathodes 2, for example with a silver oxide base, and nega tive electrodes or anodes 3, for example of zinc), with possibly separators 4 (for example of paper or of paper cellophane) between the electrodes 2, 3; anode conductors 5 and cathode conductors 6 pass through the recipient 1; this recipient l with its cover 7 (glued on the periphery of the upper part of the recipient 1) its fiuidtight, including the regions 8 where the conductors S, 6 pass through (stopped by a filling product, in particular by an araldite resin), with the exception of at least one upper orifice 9 (formed in the cover 7 and provided with a liquid-adsorbing substance 10, advantageously folded like an accordeon) permitting the outlet of gas (on the one hand, the outlet of the air filling the recipient 1 between the electrodes 2, 3 and the separators 4 at the moment of priming, and on the other hand, the gases due to the electrochemical reactions taking place when the electrolyte is located, for the reasons explained hereafter, at the interior of the recipient l), and with the exception of at least one lower orifice 11 formed in the lower part or extension 12 of the recipient 1, this lower orifice ll permitting the inlet of the electrolyte at the moment of priming.

The generator further comprises a first skirt or small skirt l3 fixed (for example by screwing and gluing at 14 a collarette 15 around the lower end 12 of the recipient l to which it thus becomes rigidly fixed) to the lower part 12 of the recipient l around its lower orifice 11, this first skirt 13 carrying at its interior a flexible bag 16 whose interior 117 is filled with the electrolyte; a tearable membrane 18 is fixed against the lower part 12 of the recipient l. to separate the open part of the bag I6 from the lower orifice ll of the recipient, the tearable membrane 18 being glued on the lower face of the end 12 of the recipient 1, whereas the upper part of the bag 16 is clamped against the shoulder 19 ofthe collarette 15.

The generator also comprises a second skirt or large skirt 20 mounted, preferably in a removable manner (for example by a thread at 21 between the two skirts), under the lower part 12 of the recipient 1, this second skirt 20 surrounding the first skirt 13.

Finally, the generator comprises a priming member 22 which can be moved at the interior of the second skirt 20, this priming member 22 being originally mounted in the lower part of the second skirt 2!) by a thread at 23 and being adapted to be pushed towards the top; this member comprises a cylinder 24 rigid with a base 25, and a piston or finger 26 (mounted on the base 25, as explained hereafter with reference to FIGS. 3 to the summit 27 of the piston 26 being originally located in contact with, or possibly in the neighborhood of, the lower part 28qf the bag 16 filled with electrolyte and being adapted .to be moved upward into the interior of the first skirt 13, thus folding the bag 16 on itself; first this tears the tearable membrane 18 and then it displaces the electrolyte from the bag into the recipient 1 through the lower orifice 11 of the recipient (as explained hereafter with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9); this member 22 preferably comprises means permitting its move ment towards the top only by means of a Special tool 29 (FIGS. 6 and 7).

For this purpose, the lower face 30 of the base 25 of the priming member 22 is provided with a certain number of blind holes 31 disposed according to a determined configuration (for example four blind holes forming a square) so as to permit the actuation of this member 22 by a tool 29 having projections 32 disposed according to the same configuration as the blind holes 31 so as to be able to penetrate into these holes; moreover, a detachable lid 33 is preferably disposed against the lower face 30, this detachable lid 33 comprising, in addition to fastening tongues 34 fixed on the periphery of the second skirt 20, blind holes 35 disposed according to the same configuration as the blind holes 31 of the member 22, these blind holes 35 being able to receive the projections 32 of the tool 29 in order to be able to be actuated by this tool for detaching the detachable lid 33 by separation of this lid from the tongues 34, in a preliminary stage of the priming operation (as explained hereafter), the ensemble of the blind holes 35 of the lid 33 being offset in offset in rotation with respect to the ensemble of the blind holes 31 of the lower face 30 of the priming member 24; in addition to the tongues 34, a projection 36 can be provided, carried by the lid 33 and penetrating into one of the blind holes 31 of the base 25 of the priming member 22.

According to another characteristic of the invention, cooperating threads 38, 39 can be provided, on the one hand, at the upper part 40 of the first skirt 13, and on the other hand, at the upper end 41 of the priming member 22 so that this member 22 can be fixed in its upper position on the first skirt 13 (as illustrated in FIG. 8), after which the the second skirt can be detached (FIG. 9) in the case in which it is mounted in a removable manner on the recipient 1.

In the preferred embodiment, the piston or finger 26 is mounted in the base plate carrying the cylinder 24, in a manner to be able to turn freely with respect to this plate. This can be achieved in the following manner which is described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

The piston 26 comprises a cylindrical tail 42 and the plate 25 is provided with a cylindrical hole 43 of diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the tail 42, the hole 43 flaring slightly at its lower part (FIG. 3). The piston 26 is then lowered at the interior of the cylinder 24 as the tail 42 is inserted into the hole 43, the length of this tail being such that it projects slightly beyond the lower face of the plate 25 (FIG. 4).

Then the free end of the tail 42 is mushroomed at 37, like a rivet head, as illustrated in FIG. 5, which fixes the piston 26 in position at the interior of the cylinder 24, but permits the rotation of the piston 26 with respect to this cylinder around their common axis XX (FIG. 5).

As the structure of the primable generator has been described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, a description will now be given with reference to FIGS. 1, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of how an authorized user can prime the generator, that is to say make the electrolyte pass from the interior 17 of the bag 16 into the interior of the recipient 1 between the electrodes 2 and 3 and the separators 4, if these separators are provided.

The electrochemical generator is originally in the state illustrated in FIG. 1. An authorized person processing the tool 29 presents the projections 32 of this tool opposite the blind holes 35 of the lid 33, and then introduces these projections into the holes. By a rotation of the tool 29, the authorized person tends to make the lid 33 turn and causes the shearing of the tongues 34. The authorized person can then remove the lid 33.

He then presents the projections 32 of the tool 29 opposite the blind holes 31 of the priming member 22, which blind holes have just been made available by the removal of the lid 33 (FIG. 6). After having made the projections 32 penetrate into the blind holes 31, the authorized person turns the base 25 with the cylinder 24 at the interior of the skirt 20, this movement of rotation producing, due to the thread 23, the upward movement of the priming member 22; the piston or finger 26 moves vertically upward without turning, due to the free rotation permitted by the mounting of the tail 42 in the hole 43. The upward movement of the piston 26 has the effect of deforming the bag 16 which passes from the position illustrated in FIG. 6 to the position illustrated in FIG. 7 during the few turns of the base 25 corresponding to the thread 23. Under the effect of the deformation of the bag 16, the electrolyte at the interior 17 of this bag is compressed and tears, at 18a, the tearable membrane 18, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

By considering FIG. 7, it can be seen that the priming member 22 has been liberated from the second skirt 20. The authorized person then pushes on the tool 29 in the direction of the arrow F, which has the effect of moving the priming member 22 upward, into the interior of the second skirt 20, from the position shown in FIG. 7 to the position shown in FIG. 8 in which the cylinder 24 of the priming member 22, after having been introduced into the space 44 between the skirts 13 and 20, is fastened around the skirt 13, the operation finishing up by screwing the thread 38 of the cylinder 24 onto the thread 39 of the skirt 13 by further rotation of the tool 29. During the passage from the position of FIG. 7 to the position of FIG. 8 of the priming member 22, the piston 26 completely deforms the bag 16 and displaces practically all of the electrolyte contained in this bag into the interior of the recipient 1 (by construction, the bag 16 has a dimension such that the content of this bag which is displaced into the recipient 1 in the course of the priming operation is such that it fills this recipient to the level desired for proper operation of the generator).

When the priming operation has been finished, the person who carried out this operation can, when the skirt 20 is mounted in a removable manner on the recipient l, detach this skirt 20 in the case illustrated by unscrewing the skirt 20 fixed by the thread 21 on the lower part 12 of the recipient 1. The generator is then as represented in FIG. 9, and it occupies a much smaller volume.

The generator represented in FIG. 9 is ready for use, its characteristics being identical with those of a generator comprising the electrolyte between its electrodes as soon as it is made.

The various elements of the generator whose structure and priming have been described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, can advantageously be made of plastic material such as polystyrene, with the exception of the electrodes, of the separators if any, and of the conductors, on the one hand, and of the bag 16 (advantageously made of natural or synthetic rubber), on the other hand.

With regard to the electrodes and the electrolyte, these can be of any desired type for constituting either a nonrechargeable generator such as a primary battery or a rechargeable generator such as an accumulator.

A primable electrochemical generator established according to the present invention, has, with respect to generators of the type in question, already in existence, numerous advantages, notably the following.

First of all it can be primed in an easy and sure manner by authorized persons, whereas an unauthorized person cannot prime it.

Its construction is robust, tight and compact, which can permit long storage in the open air.

Its size, in the final state, is relatively small.

The cost price of the priming system is relatively low.

We claim:

1. A primable electrochemical generator, comprising, in combination;

a recipient containing anode electrodes and cathode electrodes, said two types of electrodes being separated from each other, and having anode and cathode conductors passing through the recipient, said recipient being fluidtight, including the regions where said conductors pass through, with the exception of at least one upper orifice permitting the outlet of gas constituted by the air in the recipient before priming with electrolyte and by the gases generated after priming and with the exception of at least one lower orifice permitting the inlet of the electrolyte during priming;

a first skirt rigidly fixed to the lower part of said recipient around its lower orifice; a flexible bag filled with electrolyte, supported within said first skirt and having a projecting part;

a tearable membrane fixed against the lower part of the recipient to separate the electrolyte from the lower orifice of the recipient before priming;

a second skirt mounted under the lower part of said recipient, said second skirt surrounding first skirt; and

a priming member movable by means of a keyed tool upwardly within the second skirt and which is originally mounted in the lower part of the second skirt said priming member comprising a protruding element having its summit originally located in the neighborhood of the projecting part of said bag and being movable upward into the interior of the first skirt, thus folding said bag within itself, which first tears the tearable membrane and then displaces the electrolyte from the bag into said recipient through the lower orifice of said recipient.

said priming member having means which coact with means of said first skirt when said priming member is moved upwardly to fix said priming member means in its upper position to the first skirt.

2. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 1, wherein the summit of said protruding element is originally located in contact with the projecting lower part of said bag.

3. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 1, wherein said priming member comprises screw means permitting its upward movement only by means of the rotation of said keyed tool.

4. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 3, including a plurality of blind holes disposed on the lower. face of the priming member according to a determined configuration so as to permit the actuation of said priming member by said keyed tool having projections disposed according to the same configuration as said blind holes and capable of penetrating into said blind holes, and said primable electrochemical generator further comprising, disposed against the lower face of the priming member, A detachable lid also comprising blind holes disposed according to the same configuration as the blind holes cited in the first place and being able to receive the projections of said tool in order to be able to be actuated by said tool in order to be able to be actuated by said tool for detaching the lid from the priming member in a preliminary stage of the priming operation, the ensemble of the blind holes of the lid being offset in rotation with respect to the ensemble of the blind holes of the lower face of the priming member.

5. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 1, wherein said second skirt is threaded so as to be mounted in a removable manner under the lower part of said recipient.

6. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 5, further comprising cooperating threads, on the one hand, at the upper part of the first skirt, and on the other hand, at the upper end of the priming member so that this priming member can be fixed, by means of said cooperating threads, in its upper position on said first skirt, after which the second skirt can be removed from the recipient thereby reducing the bulk of said generator.

7. A primable electrochemical generator, comprising, in

combination:

a recipient containing anode electrodes and cathode electrodes, these two types of electrodes being separated from each other, and having anode and cathode conductors passing through the recipient, this recipient being fluidtight, including the regions where said conductors pass through, with the exception of at least one upper orifice permitting the outlet of air filling the recipient at the moment of priming and the outlet of gases generated therein after priming and with the exception of at least one lower orifice permitting the inlet of the electrolyte at the moment of priming;

a threaded first skirt rigidly fixed to the lower part of said recipient around its lower orifice and supporting within a flexible bag filled with the electrolyte;

a tearable membrane fixed against the lower part of the recipient and covering the open end of said bag to separate the within said bag from the lower orifice of the recipient;

a removable second skirt threadablly mounted under the lower part of said recipient, said second skirt surrounding said first skirt and being also threaded at the end thereof remote from said surrounding skirt portion; and

a threaded priming member which can be threadably moved at the remote interior threaded portion of the second skirt, and which is originally mounted in the lower part of the second skirt and which is adapted to be pushed towards the top, this priming member comprising a finger whose summit is originally located in the neighborhood of the lower part of said bag filled with electrolyte, this member being adapted to be moved upward thus folding said bag on itself, which first tears the tearable membrane and then displaces the electrolyte from the bag into said recipient through the lower orifice of this recipient and to make threaded connection between said priming member and said threaded first skirt. 

2. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 1, wherein the summit of said protruding element is originally located in contact with the projecting lower part of said bag.
 3. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 1, wherein said priming Member comprises screw means permitting its upward movement only by means of the rotation of said keyed tool.
 4. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 3, including a plurality of blind holes disposed on the lower face of the priming member according to a determined configuration so as to permit the actuation of said priming member by said keyed tool having projections disposed according to the same configuration as said blind holes and capable of penetrating into said blind holes, and said primable electrochemical generator further comprising, disposed against the lower face of the priming member, A detachable lid also comprising blind holes disposed according to the same configuration as the blind holes cited in the first place and being able to receive the projections of said tool in order to be able to be actuated by said tool in order to be able to be actuated by said tool for detaching the lid from the priming member in a preliminary stage of the priming operation, the ensemble of the blind holes of the lid being offset in rotation with respect to the ensemble of the blind holes of the lower face of the priming member.
 5. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 1, wherein said second skirt is threaded so as to be mounted in a removable manner under the lower part of said recipient.
 6. A primable electrochemical generator according to claim 5, further comprising cooperating threads, on the one hand, at the upper part of the first skirt, and on the other hand, at the upper end of the priming member so that this priming member can be fixed, by means of said cooperating threads, in its upper position on said first skirt, after which the second skirt can be removed from the recipient thereby reducing the bulk of said generator.
 7. A primable electrochemical generator, comprising, in combination: a recipient containing anode electrodes and cathode electrodes, these two types of electrodes being separated from each other, and having anode and cathode conductors passing through the recipient, this recipient being fluidtight, including the regions where said conductors pass through, with the exception of at least one upper orifice permitting the outlet of air filling the recipient at the moment of priming and the outlet of gases generated therein after priming and with the exception of at least one lower orifice permitting the inlet of the electrolyte at the moment of priming; a threaded first skirt rigidly fixed to the lower part of said recipient around its lower orifice and supporting within a flexible bag filled with the electrolyte; a tearable membrane fixed against the lower part of the recipient and covering the open end of said bag to separate the within said bag from the lower orifice of the recipient; a removable second skirt threadably mounted under the lower part of said recipient, said second skirt surrounding said first skirt and being also threaded at the end thereof remote from said surrounding skirt portion; and a threaded priming member which can be threadably moved at the remote interior threaded portion of the second skirt, and which is originally mounted in the lower part of the second skirt and which is adapted to be pushed towards the top, this priming member comprising a finger whose summit is originally located in the neighborhood of the lower part of said bag filled with electrolyte, this member being adapted to be moved upward thus folding said bag on itself, which first tears the tearable membrane and then displaces the electrolyte from the bag into said recipient through the lower orifice of this recipient and to make threaded connection between said priming member and said threaded first skirt. 